Disciplined Passion
by rahiggin
Summary: Kaoru Kamiya is attending an elite school, where she is in her second year. She is noticing some changes this year with new arrivals. Will this be another easy year for her or will she finally be done with the boredom?
1. Chapter 1

Sitting at a desk in high school could be so trivial for her sometimes. Kaoru knew she could pass the tests anyway, and there just wasn't a challenge in it anymore. She had decided to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the country, where mostly rich kids attended. There were some kids that received a scholarship for a free ride as long as they kept their grades up. Kaoru knew she was part of the latter, and her family was depending on her.

This was a constant source of stress for Kaoru. It was barely nine in the morning and already she wanted to skip school. She would much rather be at her family's dojo practicing kendo. That was how she spent most of her time when she wasn't in school. She could hear the rhythmic tap of her bokken now. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Kamiya, we are waiting." Her teacher continued to tap the open book on Kaoru's desk repeatedly.

Kaoru snapped her head up to see her teacher standing right in front of her. _Oh shit! How the hell did I miss her get right in front of me? What are we even talking about? _

The entire class had been staring at her for only the gods knew how long. Kaoru didn't like this sort of attention as she could feel their looks. They were wondering if she would be able to pull it off because it was apparent she hadn't been paying attention.

She looked quickly to the board and back to the teacher's face. She answered, "The square root of 3." Kaoru's teacher made a face that was almost exasperated, straightened up, and walked back to the front of the class. Once again she was right.

Kaoru didn't know how she was able to do the seemingly impossible of knowing what the answer was all the time. The knowledge came from out of nowhere. Her teachers had not been able to find a weak spot in her abilities. This particular teacher seemed to try her best to catch her off guard.

As Kaoru made her way down the hall to her next class in a daze, she didn't notice all the stares as everyone backed out of her way. This was the norm for her, and she had learned to ignore it altogether.

"Oowww!" Kaoru had been so deep in thought she had accidentally bumped into her friend as they were headed into their advanced Physics class.

"What's up Kaoru? Did you hear about the dance we are going to have in two months? I wonder who I am going with? I mean, I know it will be fun and I am going to look great. We should do a double date or a group thing. That would be so much fun. Are you coming over this weekend?" Misao started talking as they both walked into the class and headed to the back.

Kaoru tried to keep up with her fast talking friend that never seemed to tire. Misao Mackimachi was the best friend that Kaoru had made on her first day of school her freshmen year. They were both sophomores now and were ranked top of their class. Everyone knew it. Some students respected them and others resented them.

"The usual. I'm bored and want to be anywhere other than this place. I saw some posters about the dance and heard some freshmen girls talking about it." Kaoru paused to place her books on her lab table. She smiled big as she turned to her friend and said, "Well, you know I am looking forward to seeing these rich kids' faces when we tear up the dance floor."

Misao's eyes lit up as a mischievous smile formed on her face, and both girls giggled. Before Kaoru could say anything else, the bell rang. Kaoru stayed in her seat at a table in the back of the class by herself, and Misao walked back towards the front of the room to have a seat in a chair next to her partner. The teacher had placed Misao with a struggling student and Kaoru was left without a partner.

The teacher walked in smelling strongly of cigarette smoke, and pointed his index finger at the board. The entire class was quiet and alert as they read the board. Professor Saito was extremely strict and had a very sharp tongue. His students knew better than to trifle with him. This was his first year teaching at their school, but he had already made quite a name for himself as the most feared professor. He sat down at his desk and leaned back in his chair.

A moment later Kaoru felt something strong pull her thoughts from her textbook. It was a strange feeling that she had never felt before as if gravity was pulling her in the direction of the classroom door. Kaoru would have felt alarmed, but it felt like she was gaining something she didn't know she had been missing until now. She looked expectantly towards the door to see what was the cause of this feeling. A guy wearing the school uniform everyone else donned walked in the door. He had bright, red hair and a beautiful hue of violet eyes. Kaoru knew better than to stare but she couldn't help the emotions that she was suddenly feeling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The redhead entered the classroom, and he could feel the entire class staring at him as he stood in front of the teacher's desk. He passed Saito a note and waited while the professor read it over. Saito's yellow eyes narrowed as he looked from the note back to the new arrival. The professor spoke loudly to address the entire class. "Himura Kenshin is joining our class. You are late so find a seat and get to work."

Kenshin held the professor's gaze and nodded before turning to walk towards the back of the class. As he made his way down the aisle, every person in the class watched him walk towards the back. _This is going to get old fast. Just be patient Himura. _He forced his features to stay indifferent and looked for a place to sit. He found an empty seat at a table in the back and looked to the person sitting next to it. His eyes fell on azure and his breath caught. Kenshin hardly noticed her messy bun, pale skin, and rosy lips because he was losing himself in her seemingly endless river of blue. Floating toward the empty seat, he could not find it in himself to pull his gaze away from those deep, blue eyes. He continued to stare at her while taking his seat. The warmth he felt in his gut was spreading over his body. It was an electrically charged pull.

Saito cleared his throat loudly. Kenshin found it quite difficult to unlock his eyes from hers, and he noticed that she didn't look away until several moments later. He could tell that she looked slightly embarrassed as a light blush spread across her cheeks. He opened his book and began the reading assignment. With much difficulty, he didn't dare look toward this girl that was next to him for the remainder of class. He was rather startled by the strange feeling that was so close to overwhelming him. There was a pull towards her, and he was straining to seem normal and unaffected. Through his peripheral line of sight, Kenshin saw the girl's name on her journal written in decorative, squiggly handwriting. _Kaoru._

Kenshin could smell jasmine all around him and was drowning in it. This Kaoru was affecting all of his senses. He needed to get away from her so he could think. Outside was sounding really good right about now. Most people in the school wouldn't tell him anything anyway. He was a new kid and so they would steer clear as he was unknown.

Kenshin saw the girl continue to peer over at him and it was becoming too much for him. He was counting down the seconds that the bell would announce the end of the class. This madness needed to end and quickly. He didn't know what would happen if he looked into her eyes again. It was becoming very tempting for Kenshin just to glance over because he could feel her warmth right next to him. He wanted to reach out to touch her. No one would even notice.

_ Ring. _The bell rang loudly. Kenshin moved lithely out of his seat and headed towards the door without looking back. He knew that _she_ was watching him with a wide-eyed stare. The further he moved down the hallway to go outside the more he wanted to turn back and find the girl. He could still feel the warmth but he was losing it the longer he stayed away. He caught himself frowning at the thought.

* * *

Kaoru watched in shock as the mysterious redhead almost jumped off his seat in the most graceful move and made a beeline to the door. She thought he would have tried to talk to her after _that_ \- whatever _that _was. Kaoru got nothing. Not a hi, a bye, or even a backward glance. She felt a little lost at this point and could feel the pull becoming less and less. The feeling of something missing was coming back full force and it hurt. She could have sworn he had felt something when they made that visual connection. Was she wrong? Had she just imagined it.

Kaoru looked down momentarily to gain control of her wondering thoughts. This would have to wait. She reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. As she reached to gather her things, she looked up to see aquamarine eyes waiting almost expectantly.

"What was that all about?" Misao struggled to keep from jumping up and down. Kaoru had never showed any interest in any one person so Misao was more than interested to know why this guy caused a change in her friend's typical lack of interest.

Kaoru looked back at her friend with a blank look on her face and Misao bit her top lip to keep from smiling. "I...I...What?"

"I saw you staring at the new guy. Did you know he is a senior? Wow! He is so in to you. Sooo, what are you waiting for? We better hurry to our next class while you explain yourself."

"Oh right. Let's go." Kaoru paused to finish getting her things and hurried with Misao trailing. Kaoru had become pretty good at deflecting Misao but that required much concentration. Right now she just didn't have the ability to focus on anything other than violet. So she did the only thing she could. She ran. Kaoru knew Misao would attack her at some point to try to get information from her, but she would have to wait until later. Much later.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for letting me know that my update was not updated. I get busy so I didn't check back on it. I apologize.

I do not own Kenshin.

Chapter 3

As the raven haired girl made her way to lunch, she searched each hallway in the school to make sure that Misao wasn't stalking her. She felt like a ninja assassin eluding the FBI. Misao had serious skills in hiding from view almost as if she was blending in the shadows. It could be pretty nerve-wrecking for Kaoru at times. One minute her overzealous friend could be extremely loud and boisterous and the next minute disappear from sight.

Kaoru stood in front of the entrance to the cafeteria peeking over half of the student body trying to determine if her best friend was waiting to attack her. Part of her mind wondered if the redhead was in there too. Who were his friends? Which group of people did he sit with? Here she was giving him way too much importance. What was going on with her. She needed to stop. Seriously.

Kaoru finally made it to the line to get her food. As she filed in with the other students, she made her way through the assembly line like a sheep. She came out the other end of the cafeteria and headed towards a table by a window. She wondered where Misao was as she glanced around the large room. Kaoru began eating trying not to taste the mediocre cafeteria food. Even for a high priced school, the meals were nothing to brag about. However food is food, and it serves to replenish the body.

Throwing the last of a cookie in her mouth Kaoru stood from the table. She grabbed her tray and walked over to a trashcan and placed the tray on the top of it. She turned around quickly only to be thrown back. Kaoru threw her hands out to grab the person in front of her and catch her balance. The other person lost their footing and crashed down to the floor with her.

"Owww!" cried Kaoru rubbing her butt lightly in pain. As she opened her eyes, she found Misao staring worriedly. Kaoru's skirt had hiked up past her hips effectively flashing anyone within eyesight. Her fingers ran across her black thong and her eyes widened in surprise. Kaoru began pulling down her skirt praying to any god listening that no one saw her exposed undergarment.

"Thanks for breaking my fall Kaoru. I was looking for you from the line just now and ran over here as soon as I saw you. I am so sorry. I can't believe you didn't hear me. I had been calling your name." Misao was lifting herself off of Kaoru, and reached her hand down to help Kaoru get up. Kaoru took the offer and almost jumped up from the floor.

Misao and Kaoru laughed nervously. Then, they heard loud whistling and cat calls coming from a table close to where they were standing. A group of guys were staring at them smiling and collectively speaking to each other. _Today is just one of those days. This is the stuff of nightmares._

Kaoru could feel a certain pull that you get when someone is watching your every move. She turned her focus towards the center of the table, where a certain someone was sitting. Blush ran up Kaoru's face as she noticed golden eyes looking coldly her way. _What is the deal with him? His eyes are a different color. Why is he staring at me like this? Why do I care?_

One of the guys with brown, spiky hair shouted out at that moment, "Oi, Jou-chan, nice panties! Don't mind us we are just taking in the view. We love a little girl on girl action. I gotta say that you girls are pretty clumsy. Right Kenshin?" He shined a bright smile at the girls while the other guys smiled and chuckled.

Kaoru stared incredulously at the guy with the rooster head as he spoke a little too loudly further embarrassing her. _What a creep? _

Kaoru held her stance but threw a glance towards Kenshin to see his response. Kenshin maintained a neutral mask that was giving Kaoru the impression that he was irritated and not all too happy about the circumstances. She wasn't too sure though.

Kenshin kept his eyes on Kaoru glaring at her and said dryly, "Sano, you know I don't have time for this."

"Girls, Kenshin is very busy however I am not. I would be more than happy to help such fine looking ladies." The rooster head smiled and looked at them expectantly. Kaoru saw Kenshin twitch slightly at his lunch buddy's comment.

Misao laughed sarcastically, shot the guy the finger, and grabbed Kaoru's arm as she pulled her to go to their lockers.

"What the hell was that crap? Who is that guy?" Misao asked seemingly to herself. Kaoru could see that look in her eye and she knew it all to well. Misao was going to find out.

Kaoru was still a little shocked about that guy's big mouth, the inappropriate way she fell, and most importantly Kenshin's death stare. She hadn't even seen him there. Why hadn't she seen him or felt him there sooner? She needed to stop thinking about it. She definitely didn't want Misao inquiring about what was bothering her. Misao hadn't seemed to notice the redhead, and that was definitely a good thing.

_Kauro was walking quickly through a field searching for a way out. She wasn't sure where she only knew that she wanted out. So badly that it was choking her. People without faces were surrounding her, and they wanted to hurt her. They were screaming at her, and they had fire. She was scared the dried field would catch on fire. _

_She looked down at her hands. They were shaking as she tried to calm herself long enough to think clearly. Her adrenaline was pumping. The longer she tried to see who these people were the more they faded into the shadows. The circle around her was drawing nearer and causing her to get more desperate for a way out. _

_The torch was thrown at her feet, and the dead grass engulfed in fire. She was going to be burned alive. Her eyes began to water and she knew it was over. She could smell her flesh beginning to burn. She heard the faint cheer of the people around her erupt as the flames took over._

Kaoru opened her eyes, tears running down her face, and a heavy feeling in her chest. She could barely breathe either from the shock or the scorched feeling in her throat. Her breathing was labored and she was working hard to slow her heart down.

It was like this every night for her. She hated the feeling. The dreams or nightmares were becoming unbearable. Kaoru was tired of the night and even kendo practice wasn't helping anymore. It was the reason she trained daily since she could remember. Kendo was her form of meditation and discipline. By keeping focused, she was able to stave off the dreams for so many years.

Recently the nightmares had come back with a vengeance effectively making her a prisoner. She would dream about different places that seemed not of this time. Some dreams she couldn't remember and others would cause her a strong sense of deja vu. In her dreams, she was typically running away from something evil, and she would wake up scared in a cold sweat.

Sometimes her brother Yahiko would come into her room in the middle of the night because she was screaming so loud. Even her parents would wake up at times. She had never told them even when she was a little girl what had plagued her. They knew she had nightmares only when she would scream in pain and that was not often. Kaoru felt it was best to keep private almost as if it was something she alone should deal with. It was her burden to carry, and she knew it would only scare and worry her parents.

Kaoru knew she was not going to be able to go back asleep after the seemingly real feeling of being burnt alive. She decided to get ready for school, and she knew a scolding hot shower would make her feel better and warm her up. She ended up taking longer than what she thought to thaw out and leave that deathly cold feeling behind.

Later that morning, Kaoru saw Misao waiting for her at the corner ready to head to school. "Hey there Misao. Sorry I am a little late."

Misao gave a sigh. "That's fine. I haven't been waiting long." Misao climbed on her bike and they both pedaled their bikes towards the school. "So I did a little research last night when I got home. Apparently our perverted rooster head is none other than Sanosuke Sagara. Does that name sound familiar?"

"Not particularly. You know I don't get involved with school gossip. That is what I have you for, right?" Kaoru replied with a smile, and Misao looked almost proud.

"Right. Well, he just transferred to this school for his senior year however I don't know anything about what school he transferred from. The ladies love this guy making him pretty popular. He goes by 'Sano' and is very good at many different types of contact sports."

Kaoru nodded to show that she was paying attention. "So what about the others?"

"I was only able to find out beef on 'big stupid.' I didn't get a good look at the rest of them. I need another day or so, and I will let you know as soon as I find out." Kaoru couldn't believe Misao didn't get anything on Kenshin. This was becoming aggravating and it's not like she could ask about him. Misao would know something was up. She would just need to be patient.

"I always do my research so we know what type of people we are dealing with. I don't want to have any other surprises. Sanosuke is seen as an overall good person and people genuinely like him." Misao concluded.

"Great! Sounds like our pervert is a decent guy with teenage hormones," Kaoru said as they pulled into the school parking lot.

Misao laughed loudly. Kaoru could tell Misao was having a good time occupying herself with investigating. They needed some kind of extracurricular activity to keep them stimulated as neither of them ever had the need to study. While Kaoru knew she was the more mature of their duo, Misao was willing to get her hands dirty and be secretive when necessary.

Kenshin was at his locker in the morning as he saw the blue-eyed girl stroll into school. All the other students gave her and her hyper friend enough space to walk down the hall undisturbed. It was interesting how everyone shifted away from the duo as if knowing these girls were different somehow. They didn't belong. Not that he did. People knew that there was something odd about him. He had accepted it long ago.

He couldn't seem to turn his eyes away from the girl so he kept his bangs in his face so no one could tell. There was that feeling again that he was just drawn to her. He had never felt this before. This was something new and he was not the type of being to feel this way. He knew he needed to tell Shishou; he would know why Kenshin was unable to ignore it.

"Are you coming to my house for the weekend? There is this party Seta wants us to go to. I think it will be good for us to let loose a little and dance."

Kenshin didn't like eavesdropping on people, but he just couldn't help himself in this particular case. They were standing several feet away, and Kenshin could hear the girls as clear as if they were standing next to him. Kaoru seemed as if she had yet to see him. She appeared to be listening to her friend while walking with her eyes looking at the ground. It was impossible to see her eyes and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Kenshin found himself waiting eagerly to hear the beautiful girl's response. _Did he just call her beautiful?_ _What was wrong with him?_

"That sounds cool. We haven't been out in some time. I'll ask my parents to make sure, but they should be okay with me spending the night."

"You aren't going to tell them about the party, are you?"

"Misao, you know my parents don't let me do anything. They would flip out if I told them about the party. Remember...I am not allowed to be out at night. Paranoid parents ring a bell? Besides what they don't know won't hurt them." Kaoru sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"That's fine. We are just going to dance and chill out. Nothing too crazy. You know that I think your parent's are way too strict with you. You never do anything you're not supposed to. You deserve this of all people. Seta's house is in a gated community anyway." Kaoru nodded her head.

At that, Kenshin saw both girls walk away down the hall, and he turned to grab his book in his locker. He knew Sano would want to make an appearance to make a great impression for his school image. No one partied like Sano, nobody. Kenshin knew because they had their fair share of eventful nights due to getting carried away at parties. Having a best friend like Sano kept your life entertaining albeit a little overwhelming at times. Sano thought that if we lived our life, we might as well live large. Sometimes Kenshin felt like his caretaker. Kenshin noticed his lip curling into a partial smirk thinking about what would be in store for them this weekend.


End file.
